Signboard



Jung 30, 1942. 'r. MUNGEN 2,288,570

SIGNBOARD Filed Aug. 4, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet. 1

. INVENTOR Theodore Munqen.

ATTORNEY Jung 30, 1942. T. NAIUNGEN SIGNBOARD Filed Aug. 4, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 PICIH.

INVENTOR Theodore Munqen.

ATTORNEY h Patented June 30, 1942 UNITED 2,288,570

'SIGNBOARD Theodore Mimgen, Philadelphia, Pa., a's'sigiior to Edward G. Budd Ma'nufactiiring Company, Philadelphia, Pa, a corporation of Pennsylvafiia Ap'plia'tion August 4, 1939; Seria'lNo. 2s's,2s4=

It is the"object"o'f the ihiferition' to b'rate a Sign hoard'bf the indio'atd W156 which is extre'inely simple 'i'n eo'risti'lictioh, whieh 0511 be mahnlifacturd in a verysiin'ple ahd "ihzipensi'v e way; which is "str'ofig, has a plasantaiifiaranee ahd "which allows the easy ihs'erti'oh and removal of the interohahgeable ThiS bb jct 'iS fittziih d otitsta ndifigly tl'lfeby that *the main 'e'liherit of the slgrrboa'rq. Cdiisists or a or'ie-p'ib eanrriavm am; its outer margins in fleg'ifll i'aiwa i dly airectd flanges and being provided with a pluraii t'yof rearwardly offset sections izrits 'cehtr'al ain "portion, which 'sectiofis'for'fii l vifis' e an integral part of "the panelah'd. serve'for'fthe reception of: the ihtercharigeable'sig'hs. The formation of those"off'set 'sctfohs is thatthe's ighs iinaybe inserted 'rrbm thefr'ont side 16: the hoard so as to airoid the lncdnvm'ence "of havirigio rehiove the's'ign board -fr'bm its *sub'porflapi to turn it around when the sifis shallbe chaflged;

A f'11rther'objet of the "inventiorl has to do with' siicha 'fd'rrn'ation of the sigh plates orstrips and of s'becial holding rheafis 'thereof which make them 'esbec'ially adapt'ed for 'the fastenirig to an removal TIOIYI the'nebv sign board or v which allow 'to'eompase Words from single-letter signs. (4 7 Other olojects arid featqres of the invehtio'n will beeofne 'aboarefit frbm the following desoriptio'h of someeinbodi rhents of the invention when readinjcorihectioh with the att'aeheddrawings. In the drawings: V t v v Figure 1 is a ber'slbe'otiiie fron't viewofasign board made in aecordanc'e withihe'inileiitioh;

Figure 2 is a Vertiall "sectiohlthrough the same sigh board along line 2 2'of Figure 1 oir'ari enlarged scale;

F igure 3 a horizontal section along line3-=3 of Figure2; H A A Figure 4 i =a fragmentary pi'rspeet'ive View of a part of the'sig'n board shown in Figure 1 on an enlarged H scale;

of the' invention;

Fi'gure G "is a fragmentary of the lower end of 'thesafrie si'grlflboard'shovirn in Figure 1 with a difierfit type of iriteichari'galile sighs;

Figure'l is anenlarg'ed Viewof the rear side of one embodiment bf the" sign as'sh'ow'n in Figure '6;

"Fig'ure '8sh"ows 'a section 611 anerilarg'ed scale along line 8"8 of Figure 6;

Figures!) and 10 are views sifnilar to th'ose of Figures 7 and "8 but' of a furfiher'inodi fied' form of the iriterchangeable sighs;

Figures '1 1" and 12ai'e also Views corresponding to thos''of Figilr'esW "ahd 8' 'but showing still another modification of the inteichafi geahle signr rrtic'al to "themam may of tnq ana l0 a'iid "which merge nto fsaid' toeybg euri' a partir 'ns of' relati e13; sinall "radii compared with'the urve albhthdhdfl'zon gs to be desdrihd iii the fbllowiiig. 'I'lie horizontal-friarg'iiialbo'rtibzis 12 of the palm are lik'ewise tent to therariyto 'aii eryfifiideeerie that the ffee ed'gskeaeh the same plane as the edges ab 1 in th .fi re t 'oh 9 t l n er z t z i "attaihd 'by two outwardly projecting headings l3 ahd lfl ar'elafrariged ear ea'h of the vertiealside edgesof the p ahel arrd whieh are spaced from and run parallel to 's'aidedgesahd each tairie'fously an orhamehtal' effeot.

region of the main body or the panel [015 providedwith an 'oiltwardly'firojotihgp ojrtioh l5 whichh lay' oarry a permaiierit ins criptionor sign. The upper rnargirial portion lg-"0;: the gn is rb videq with two hloles 12' which arespaoed from each "other and which serv for the fastening of the ehds of a gihain I2" by WhiQh chain the sign eard ay b hurig up to a hailih awall Qr the like. The lower'portioh of the panel lflshotvs between the ifiiier which are "spaced from each other'byiaortions l1 shaped set of dies.

of the panel. These depressed portions show a central horizontal slot [8. On either side of the slot I8, the recessed portion shows a wide section l9 which is spaced from but substantially parallel to the plane of the main body of the panel l and which is connected to the main body by narrow sections 20 running substantially vertical to said plane. The lateral ends of the section [9 are cut away at 2| as to leave a free space between them and the adjoining portions 22 of the main body of the panel l0. It will be noted that the portions l1 and 20 form together an inwardly facing channel member and are additionally reinforced by the adjoining offset portions l9.

On each lateral end of the depressions, a member 23 angle shaped in cross section is arranged. The one wider arm 24 of these members underlies the offset sections l9 and is fastened at least to some of them, as by spotwelding. The other arm 25 of the angle member 23 extends outwardly and enters the interior of the beading l4. These members 23 form additional reinforcements of thesign board, they keep the offset portions [9 in line and the outwardly directed arms 25 serve as abutments for the interchangeable signs as will be described in the following.

The interchangeable signs as shown in Figures 1 to 4 comprise elongated strips 26 of web material such as somewhat resilient cardboard or the like. The width of the strips is substantially equal to the vertical width of the depressed portion l6 between the inwardl directed wall portions 20 thereof, The length of the strips 26 is somewhat greater than the distance between the lateral portions 22 of the panel l0 and preferably about equal to the distance between the two lateral abutments formed by the arms 25 of both strips 23. For fastening such a sign strip 26, its one end is slid into the space between the portion 20 of the panel and the arm 24 of the angleshaped member 23 until it abuts the other arm 25 of the member 23. The middle portion of the strip 26 is then outwardly bent until its other end can be slid into the space between the panel portion 20 and the arm 24 of the other member 23 on the opposite side of the structure. The strip is then released and, owing to its resiliency, will resume its substantially fiat form and thereby occupy over its entire length the respective depressed section l6. The removal of a sign for the purpose of exchange is effected in the opposite way by first gripping behind the middle portion of the strip, bending it outwardly and then drawing first the open end and then the other end out of engagement with the side portions 20 of the panel In.

The sign board shown in Figures 1 to 4 may advantageously be manufactured in the following manner. A rectangular piece of appropriate size is cut from sheet metal stock. By a trimming operation, the corners of this piece are slightly rounded off and at the same time the holes I 2' are punched out. The trimming of the corners at each smaller side of the piece may be effected separatel by one and the same cutting tools. The next step involves the bending of the upper and lower marginal portions I2, the extrusion of the headings l3 and I 4 and the pressing out of the portion I5. These different steps are performed simultaneously in a die-press by a correspondingly Hereupon the slots I8, 2| which have the form of a lying I are punched out whereby one set of cutting tools preferably punches out at first each second slot and thereupon after having correspondingly changed the relatively position between such tools and the panel the remaining slots are cut out. By a further set of dies the vertical flanges l l are bent off and simultaneously the portions [6, 20 are depressed. The panel It] has now its final shape, it remains only to fasten the separately manufactured members 23 to it and to provide the desired covering or finish, permanent inscriptions and the chain l2".

Ordinarily the resiliency of the strips 26 as shown in Figures 1 to 3 will be suflicient to keep them flat against the depressed portions of the panel. However, it may sometimes be desirable to additionally insure the proper location and form of those strips. This may be done by the arrangement shown in Figure 5. The form of the panel 21 of this embodiment, of its marginal portions 28 and 29, its beadings 30, its offset portions 3|, 32, of the panel portions 33 between the offset portions and of the reinforcing angle member 34 may be the same as the form of the corresponding members of the embodiment shown in Figures 1-4. Also one of the portions 35 connecting the offset portions 3! with the intermediate panel portions 33 corresponds to the formation of the portions 23 of the other embodiment. However, the other connection between the offset portion 32 and the main portion 33 of the panel 2'! is differently shaped since it is provided with a channel-formed part 36 facing toward the middle of the offset portion, For this embodiment the sign strips 31 are slightly wider than the width of the outward opening of the depressed portions. These strips 31 are inserted substantially in the same manner as described for the first embodiment but they are finally additionally pushed into said channel 36 which positively insures their straight position.

According to Figures 6, '7 and 8 individual interchangeable signs 38 are employed. The main body of these signs 38 is in the form of a small plate having the height of about somewhat less than the width of the depressions of the sign board. This plate 38 is provided on its rear side with some kind of a knob 39 having upwardly and downwardly projecting portions 40 which are slightly spaced from the rear surface of the main bod of the plate 38. These signs are put in place by inserting the knobs 39 through the slots I8 of the sign board in holding the signs at an angular position with respect to such slot and by then turning them to their upright position whereby the projections 40 of the knob 39 engage the margins of the portion [9 of the panel and hold the sign in place. As to allow the turning of the individual signs, their height has either to be less than the distance between the portions 20 of each depression or the portion '38 of the sign may be flexible so that their margins or corners may be bent outwardly and overlie the raised portions ll of the panel or of neighboring signs and will then snap back into the normal position after the sign has been turned into the upright position. These individual signs may be made from any appropraite material, for instance from metal by die casting, from rubber, from sheet metal in which case the knob 39 would preferably be welded on as a separately manufactured piece, or from artificial resin. An advantage of such individual signs is of course that they allow the formation of whatever inscriptions the owner of the sign board might desire.

The modification of individual signs as shown in Figures 9 and 10 is very similar to the signs shown in Figures 7 and 8. The difference consists only therein that in Figures 9 and the sign plate 4| is connected with the central portion of a spring clip 42 having rearwardly extending arms 43. The arms 43 show upwardly and downwardly projecting portions 44 which will snap behind the edges of the slot I8. These signs do not require any turning and can therefor under all circumstance be of rigid material and fill the entire vertical width between the portions of the sign board. These signs may be made from the same kind of materials as above indicated for the signs shown in Figures 7 and 8. Moreover the signs shown in Figures 9, 10 may be in the form of a strip filling the entire length of each depression of the panel in which case they would advantageously be provided with more than one spring clip and would of course show an inscription which surpasses a single letter.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 11 and 12, arms 46 providing a similar kind of spring clip as shown in Figures 9 and 10 are formed together with their projections 41 from a backing plate 45 which carries the sign plate 48 proper. The plate 45 may be made from a cheap material and the cover plate 48 of a better material such as stainless steel, aluminum, Celluloid or the like. The margins are folded at 49 around the margins of the backing plate 45 and fastened thereto. Here again, as in the case of Figures 9 and 10, the structure might also take the form of a strip filling a greater part or the entire length of an individual depression of the sign board.

The adaptor shown in Figures 13 and 14 comprises a strip of rigid material the length and height of which are about equal to the length and width of an individual depression of the sign board. The horizontal edges of this strip 50 are bent outwardly and then toward the middle of the strip at 5| as to form oppositely facing narrow channels. Into these channels may be slid from the ends of the strip individual flat sign plates 52' or coherent sign strips. One or more knobs 53 are rotatably fastened to the rear side of the member 50 as by pivots 54. These knobs are of elongated shape in plan view similar to the knobs of Figures 7 and 8. After the adaptor 5D has been provided with the desired inscription, the

knobs 53 are turned so that they extend in the longitudinal direction of the adaptor in which position they may enter through the slot l8 of the sign board. After having passed through that slot, the knobs 53 are turned about 90 and their projecting parts grip behind the edges of the portions IQ of the sign board thereby holding the adaptor firmly in place. If this adaptor is made of resilient material then its length might be about equal to the length of the strips shown in Figures 1 to 3 and it might be slipped into place by bending its middle portion in the same manner as those previously described strips. The middle portion in such a case might be additionally secured in place by one single rotatable knob.

The application is not restricted to the embodiments shown in the drawings and described in the specification, but there are other embodiments which any one skilled in the art could easily devise. Such modifications are intended to be covered by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a sign board, a one-piece plate member, a plurality of elongated sections of the central main portion of said member being rearwardly offset, these offset sections forming an integral part of said member, and each of said sections being slotted in its longitudinal direction intermediate its longitudinal margins so as to allow parts of interchangeable signs to extend through the slots and to engage the rear of said elongated sections adjacent to said slots, the connection between the main portion of said member and each of said offset sections being interrupted along at least one of the short ends of said sections, so as to allow the entrance of one end of another type of interchangeable web-shaped sign from the front side of the board, means along the margins of said board as to keep the board and the offset sections therein in spaced relation to the surface of a member such as a wall to which the board is adapted to be fastened.

2. In a sign board, a one-piece plate member, a plurality of elongated sections of the central main portion of said member being offset to the rear, these offset sections forming an integral part of said member and being spaced from each other and from the margins of said member, the connection between the main portion of said member and each of said offset sections being interrupted at least along one of the short ends of said sections so as to allow the entrance of one end of an interchangeable web-shaped sign, and an abutment forming a part of the sign board, said abutment being arranged near one end of the respective offsetsection but spaced in the direction away from the middle of the offset section, from the interrupted connection between said oflset section and the main body of the member.

3. In a sign board according to claim 2, said abutment being formed by one arm of an angle formed member the other arm of which underlies and is fastened to said offset section.

4. In a sign board according to claim 2, the abutments at the corresponding ends of a plurality of signs being formed by one continuous strip which is fastened to said member.

5. In a sign board according to claim 2, said abutments at the corresponding ends of the offset sections being formed by one common strip angle shaped in cross section, the one arm of said strip being fastened to the rear face of, at least some of said offset sections and the other arm forming the abutments and extending into an outwardly directed reinforcing beading of the main body of said member.

THEODORE MUNGEN. 

